KDF42WE655 audio problem

[ur0b0r0s]

Oh well, I got my KDF42WE655 recently from Crutchfield.

It's an awesome set, but unfortunately from day one I have a weird audio-problem: intermittently - about once or twice a day - a "click" sound is heard and the audio shuts off. The only way to restore audio is to turn off the TV, wait 2-3 minutes until the same "click" comes up again from the turned off set, and once the TV is turned back on, the audio returns.

To complicate things even more, this only happens to the audio received through the cable (coaxial) input. Even when the cable-audio shuts off, audio from other sources (like DVD) continues to work fine.
(And yes, I have done multiple tests involving other TV-sets to fully confirm that this problem is NOT related to the cable, the cable-feed or the satellite receiver.)

Needless to say, this is very disappointing, especially from Sony. I'm waiting for the repair-guy to show up, but given my experience so far with the rather incompetent and disorganized Sony customer/tech support I'm strongly tempted to return the whole set since I'm still within the 45 day return period.

That's my sad, sad story so far... :sobbing:
We'll see what happens.

[57U]

Long shot - is it possible someone nearby has a remote with a frequency that would turn off the sound on your set? Some people have had similar occurrences with their TV turning off, etc.

The "click" sound leads me to believe this is not the case, however, I just wanted to "brainstorm".

Also, does the first "click" coincide with an A/C unit or other power draw in the house that could cause a voltage drop? Try plugging the TV into another circuit, preferably one with little else plugged in. You may need to run an extension cord.

[ur0b0r0s]

Interesting theory... however, checking the "mute" function was pretty much the first thing I tried. Also, I guess a rogue remote would turn all sound off, not just the sound coming from one particular source... thanks for the brainstorm, though. Any ideas are welcome.

[mech]

Hello,

After reading this I am starting to think that it could be your cable. I know you say you have tested it, but that does not make sense. For example when you mention that is does not happen to your other components such as DVD player. Do you have a AV receiver that displays whats being transmitted? For example my SONY receiver will display a read out on what the audio feed is. Say if I am watching cable and there is something wrong with the broadcast my receiver will re-display what signal its getting (DD 5.1, or PLII) something like that. Then I know right off the bat it's the cable.

[ur0b0r0s]

Well, like I mentioned, I did various tests trying to isolate the problem... one time when the sound disappeared I hooked up the same cable to another TV, and the sound was fine there. Hooked it back to the Sony, and no sound.

Also, if this was a cable-problem why would the sound consistently return after a "click" is heard from the TV-set once it's been off for about 2-3 minutes?

Yeah, I've been trying really hard to place the blame on other components, but unfortunately it appears that it IS in fact the TV...

[mech]

Hello,

If your TV is not that old I would call SONY for service. Did you buy an extended warranty?

[ur0b0r0s]

Yes, the repair-guy is scheduled to show up next week.

In the meantime I found another poor fella with a characteristically similar problem:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=454852

I suspect all this may be related to a defective tuner, that's why it happens only with the cable-input.

[ur0b0r0s]

Ok, here's my update...

After a million of phonecalls and inspections the repairman finally agreed that the sound-cutoff problem is indeed caused by a faulty tuner.

He ordered the part (which for this GW generation is supposed to be some ultra-complex all-in-one miracle-box), came out to replace it... and boom, the picture was terrible, noisy and grainy as hell.

Obviously I made a big deal about it, and asked him to put the old tuner back to see what's up. Of course the picture was completely fine with the old tuner... great.

The bottom line is that BOTH the original tuner of the unit and the new, freshly ordered one are defective in different ways: it's a nice two-for-two combo. I guess these things are being assembled in some pygmy village with chipped rocks and blunt sticks nowadays... I smell yet another widespread model-line problem, after the previous GW-generation's infamous bulb-issues.

I used to be a pretty vocal Sony-fan, as far as I was concerned their products used to be the pinnacle of reliability and quality, but after this incident I'm not sure anymore.

Anyway, in the meantime I'm awaiting my third tuner-box, and I'll keep ya'll updated. :nono2:

[MonsoonP]

Any updates? I am thinking about purchasing this TV?